Microchips: a permanent method of identifying your pet

Why microchip?

Each year thousands of lost and abandoned animals are taken in by shelters and humane societies across North America. Some of these animals never make it home because they can’t be identified.

Microchipping offers pet owners the only truly permanent method of identifying your pet and linking the animal back to you, the owner, via our Lost Pet Recovery Service. Collar tags can break or become unreadable and tattooing can become illegible. So, if you want to improve your pet’s chances of getting home fast and safe in case it were to go missing, microchipping is your best option.

4 reasons to microchip your pet

Only true permanent method of pet identification

Best chance of your pet returning to you after going missing

Quick and painless procedure, similar to vaccination

Lasts for the lifetime of your pet

What is the 24PetWatch microchip and how does it work?

The 24PetWatch microchip is a tiny chip, the size of a grain of rice that is permanently implanted in your pet to ensure that it can be identified quickly. Each chip has a unique identification number that links your pet to your details so that you can get it home faster if it were to ever go missing.
The chip is powered by a scanner which sends a signal to the chip and receives the unique identification number stored on it. When a vet, shelter or humane society finds a lost or missing pet, they use the scanner to read your pet’s chip. They contact 24PetWatch Lost Pet Recovery Service with the number from the chip. We then contact you and reunite you with your pet. That one toll-free call is all it takes to set the process in motion. If your pet ever goes missing, we can track all enquires coming in to ensure not a moment is wasted reuniting you and your pet together again.

My dog always wears a collar and tags why do I need to microchip him/her?

Collars and tags can be removed or get lost and tattooing can become illegible over time. Microchips are the only truly permanent method of identifying your dog. It lasts for the lifetime of the pet.

I have a cat – should I microchip him/her?

Cats are naturally curious and unpredictable. In the event that your cat strays away from the safety of your home a microchip registered with 24PetWatch is your cat’s best chance of a fast return.

Does microchipping hurt the animal?

Animal microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are typically implanted by a vet just beneath the surface of the skin between the shoulder blades. The process is similar to receiving vaccination through a needle and is painless to pets. Most animals don’t even react when the microchip is implanted. Once implanted the microchip remains between the shoulder blades just beneath the skin for the rest of the animal’s lifetime, becoming a permanent form of identification.

Where can I get my pet microchipped?

Ask your local shelter or vet clinic to microchip your pet for you – tell them that you would prefer to have a 24PetWatch Microchip ID microchip. In the event that they use a different brand of microchip you should still register your pet’s microchip with the 24PetWatch Lost Pet Recovery Network – the only full service lost pet recovery network that provides free registration for all brands of microchips in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.